SIERRA BLANCA -- Sitting about 85 miles east of El Paso, Sierra Blanca can easily be overlooked by people driving on Interstate 10.

The town is quiet, with a population of 550, and it takes a motorist seconds to pass through going at the speed limit -- unless you are country-Western singer Willie Nelson, rapper Snoop Dogg or actor Armie Hammer.

For them, it took a little longer.

They were stopped and arrested on suspicion of having pot. Their arrests made national news and put Sierra Blanca and Hudspeth County on the map. Their arrests, locals say, is slowly making the town a tourist attraction.

Action star Steven Seagal, a reserve sheriff deputy with Hudspeth County who patrols the area a few days a month, might bring the paparazzi.

Anyone traveling east on I-10 toward Sierra Blanca must first clear a U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint -- a lonely place that looks like an airplane hangar without doors. There is little life out there, a few bushes, no trees and lots of desert.

But there is a lot of action.

About 17,000 vehicles drive through the checkpoint each day.

In the past two years, Nelson, Snoop Dogg and Hammer were arrested by Border Patrol agents.

Advertisement

They are not alone

Every day, at least six drug cases are referred by the Border Patrol to the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office.

Non-immigration suspects detained at the checkpoint are eventually passed on to sheriff's deputies.

"Border Patrol does a good job of finding probable cause and building a case," said Rusty Fleming, spokesman for the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office. "They make the case and call us over. We never decline the cases."

Official numbers were not immediately available from the Sheriff's Office, and Customs and Border Protection does not keep arrest statistics for each checkpoint.

However, CBP sector spokesman Bill Brooks said the Sierra Blanca checkpoint is never slow.

"It's the busiest in the Big Bend Sector and it's in the far west end of our sector," Brooks said.

"People will say it's far from the border, but the border is right over those hills."

That border was the scene of a small international incident in 2006 during a standoff between county deputies and armed men dressed as Mexican soldiers.

The confrontation was over a drug-loaded sport utility vehicle that became stuck in the Rio Grande while trying to return to Mexico during a chase by deputies. The contraband was unloaded by smugglers, who then set the vehicle on fire. No shots were fired, but the incident led to a congressional hearing.

Border Patrol agents were called to assist.

Famous mugshots

One November night in 2010, CBP agents smelled the odor of marijuana coming out of a tour bus passing through the checkpoint.

As a result, the bus was ordered to the side for a secondary inspection.

During the search, agents found 6 ounces of marijuana.

The owner was none other than country legend Willie Nelson.

"We didn't know it was Nelson until we opened the RV door," said Agent Abel Meza, one of the shift supervisors at the checkpoint.

Nelson was booked into the Hudspeth County Jail in Sierra Blanca. He posted a $2,500 bond and was released that same day.

He paid a $787 fine in May, but not before county officials jokingly said they may ask him to perform in Sierra Blanca as community service.

Almost a year later, Social Network and J. Edgar star Armie Hammer was arrested on suspicion of having 0.02 ounces of marijuana in cookies and a brownie.

Hammer was in jail for one day before posting a $1,000 bond.

Agents did not realize he was an actor.

"No one knew who he was until recently," Brooks said.

The latest big name to spend some time in Sierra Blanca is Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr.

On Jan. 7, an agent during preliminary inspection of a bus smelled marijuana as soon the door opened on a tour bus.

A drug-sniffing dog used during the secondary inspection found 0.13 pounds of marijuana.

Snoop Dogg said the pot belonged to him, officials said. He was detained by Border Patrol and was later given a Class C misdemeanor citation.

Meza said countless charter buses and RVs pass through the checkpoint every day.

Agents do not know who is on the bus until they board it, and the only reason they would search one is if they had reason to suspect drugs were on board.

"We treat them like any other individuals that we arrest," Meza said.

"We show respect and professionalism."

Sniffing out an arrest

The three celebrity incidents started just like any other arrest.

Their vehicles pulled up to the checkpoint and were greeted by an agent -- motorists on this stretch of freeway approach at 80 mph and gradually slow to a stop.

Depending on the line forming behind a vehicle, the primary agent has a limited amount of time to determine whether the vehicle is suspicious.

"We got to make sure the flow of traffic continues," Meza said.

"Especially with the trucks, we know you have goods coming through and any delay is costing someone money. We don't want to disrupt anyone's business."

Meza said at least one car enters the checkpoint every 30 seconds to a minute.

"It all depends on the interview itself," Meza said. "You have five to 10 seconds to determine if someone has something suspicious about them or their vehicle."

Every license plate is scanned as it enters the checkpoint lines. If the vehicle or its owner is being sought, the computer lets an agent inside know, Meza said. "Communication is paramount. As a primary agent you rely on your partners who are inside and outside."

Heat-sensitive cameras and radiation detectors also go off if the levels on the vehicles are out of the ordinary, Meza said.

If a vehicle is sent to a secondary inspection, the driver may be asked to step away while agents inspect it. Using a larger radiation detector, agents can find weapons of mass destruction and other hazardous items.

"It all depends on why that person was referred to secondary," Meza said. "If there is radiation, you have to make sure there are no weapons."

But when it comes to drugs, the agents' most helpful ally is on all fours.

Drug-sniffing dogs are walked up and down the checkpoint line and used for most secondary searches in which drugs are suspected.

"If there is marijuana in the middle of a can of jalapeños, the dog will smell both of them but ignore the jalapeños," Brooks said. "These dogs are raised to work. They are excited to work. They never sit still; they can't wait to find their next bust so they can be rewarded for it."

If the dog gives a signal, the vehicle in question will be inspected further.

Sometimes the dog's signal is as calm as sitting down or something similarly simple. Their handler, who usually lives and trains with the dog, know exactly how the dog will react.

Headquarters

Less than five miles from the checkpoint is the official Sierra Blanca Border Patrol station.

The station is 1.2 miles all around and is 10 times as large as the previous station, which was two houses that still stand on the south side of Sierra Blanca.

The headquarters also has temporary holding cells and medical facilities for agents and anyone else in need of emergency care.

"We have a very robust medical facility," Brooks said. "The original purpose is to tend to our agents. But we also take care of anyone else we come across that needs help. If there is someone we detain wandering in the desert, we give them medical care."

Detainees who are found wandering in the desert or who are dehydrated are usually given food and water when they are taken to the holding cells.

"Sometimes they haven't eaten or drank anything in days," Brooks said. "We aren't just here to detain them; we want to take care of them."

Several agents, including Meza, are also trained as EMT's. In fact, the checkpoint has its own EMT vehicle and usually has one or two agents trained for emergencies.

In the event of an emergency in Sierra Blanca, the Border Patrol acts as an ambulance. Because railroad tracks run through town, the station is equipped for the worst-case scenario.

"Luckily we've never had anything like it happen, but if need be we can respond to a hazmat emergency," Meza said.

Part of the community

Bernie Martinez, 58, has lived in Sierra Blanca for the past five years. He said the celebrity arrests have brought more attention to the town.

Martinez works at Compa's Restaurant, which is at the end of the second exit ramp past the checkpoint.

On top of curious travelers stopping by to inquire about Nelson or Snoop Dogg, there are others who are furious about the checkpoint.

Martinez said many people pull up after they or someone they know has been detained or cited for drugs.

"There are a lot of people who get busted," Martinez said. "They don't know about the checkpoint. Once you get in line, there is no going back."

Most of those drug-related cases come on referral from the Border Patrol, Fleming said.

The relationship between the Border Patrol and the Sheriff's Office is sometimes strained by federal policies and decisions made in Washington. However, in Sierra Blanca the two agencies get along, Fleming said.

"We are always trying to find a way to stretch that relationship and work together," he said. "Sometimes they ask us to back them up and we do. And when we call them for backup, they have our backs."

Sierra Blanca has 17 deputies plus Sheriff Arvin West. The Border Patrol is much larger, but Brooks said the agency couldn't disclose the number of agents it has at the checkpoint and station.

"We're very isolated," Brooks said. "We got a bunch of agents in this itty-bitty town."

The Border Patrol also helps the local law enforcement with its helicopter and horseback unit.

"Sometimes when someone is missing in the desert or there is some other type of incident, our horseback unit is already in the area," Brooks said.

Fleming said residents of general enjoy the Border Patrol's presence and do not mind the extra attention the agents have brought the town with the high-profile arrests.

In fact, the Sheriff's Office has its own celebrity deputy, Steven Seagal.

"He comes in whenever the sheriff needs him," Fleming said. "Anytime we have a special need for Steven, he is called in."

Seagal is usually in town a few days a month to work. He is fully deputized, but is not a full-time employee.

However, he may be one of the few celebrities who is eager to be in Sierra Blanca.

"Willie, Snoop and the Armie Hammer guy aren't the first celebrities to get busted," Fleming said. "But the way the media has changed over the years, has brought it a lot of attention."

Aaron Bracamontes may be reached at abracamontes@elpasotimes.co;m 546-6156.